Boston Marathon Explosions: Global Media React To Bombing Tragedy

The shocking explosions in Boston Monday have spurred immediate responses from news outlets all around the world.

At least two explosions went off around 2:50 p.m. EDT at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, which is located at Copley Square near the Boston Public Library. Another explosion has been reported at the John F. Kennedy Library, which is about three miles away. At least two people have been killed and scores injured. Details regarding perpetrators, fatalities and damage are still forthcoming.

The world is reeling in the immediate aftermath of such unexpected bloodshed at the high-profile sporting event, which attracts spectators and runners from around the world every year.

Here are the headlines run by various publications from Boston to Ireland to Australia.

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Boston.com, the site of the Boston Globe, seemed to be experiencing some difficulties as a result of heavy traffic over an hour after the blast occured. Its format was bare-bones and utilitarian, featuring a constantly updating string of tweets and posts from people close to the chaos.

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New York City is Boston's closest metropolis and biggest rival, at least when it comes to sports. But on Monday, Boston was front and center at the New York Times, which happens to own the Globe.

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Boston has a special relationship with Ireland -- nearly one-fifth of the city's residents claim Irish heritage, according to New England Cable News. The Irish Times was quick to respond to the tragedy with a top headline on Monday, even though the sun had set there by the time the blasts occured.

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Italian newspaper La Republicca responded quickly and with a heavy dose of alarmism. "Attack on the Boston Marathon," it says. "Explosion among the crowd. At least three dead. More explosives found. New York and Washington under alert."

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The pan-Arab network Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, has correspondents all over the world. It was one of the first foreign media organizations to post photos and reports.

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Xinhua, the governmnet-run news service in China, immediately cleared some space for the Boston explosions. This photo portrays one of the most graphic scenes from the aftermath, though much of the victim's bloody injury has been cropped out of frame here.

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In Australia, the sun was only just coming up when the bombs exploded in Boston. But that didn't stop the Sydney Morning Herald from putting the breaking news on its front page.

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American media outlet Fox News was among the first to report. This bloody image captures the chaos that erupted following the blasts, and pays tribute to the first responders who were quick to offer medical assistance and security amid the tumult.